The next Falcon could have truly international flair. Ford Australia has cast a wide net in its latest search for hot new talent, advertising for designers around the world.
The company says it is expanding its design staff to cope with increased demands locally and outside the country.

It is advertising for "highly talented people to join the design team at the Ford Asia-Pacific Design Headquarters in Melbourne" to boost the staff of 60.

Ford's design director, Simon Butterworth, told Drive this week that "we have a lot of work on. Many people don't realise that Ford Australia has been given responsibility for the Asia-Pacific region as well."

He said many of the vehicles that resulted from projects undertaken by Ford Australia would never be marketed here. "It's a fair portion of our business."

The design team worked on a broad spectrum of projects, he said, but was under increased pressure from the diversified local line-up, which included the new locally built Territory all-wheel-drive to go on sale next year.

Ford was looking to employ experienced designers in "in ones or twos, rather than 10s". The advertisements seek clay modellers, sculptors and designers for exteriors, interiors, colour, trim and materials.

Butterworth brings strong international credentials to Ford Australia. After joining the car industry with the Rover Group, he started with Jaguar Cars in 1987, becoming principal designer with responsibility for all interior design work, and then taking charge of Advanced Concepts, with responsibility for all exterior and interior advanced concept design.

Before his appointment here in 2001, he was project manager responsible for sports sedans and luxury sports programs for Jaguar Cars in the UK. In this role he was responsible for all design and styling related to S-Type, X-Type and XK8 replacement programs.

Do you have any sketches? Your Photoshop pics have always caught my attention :) There needs to be someone like a Homer Simpson create a car, a real drivers car. I'll take that BA T-Series you made up over anything Ford have put out so far

"If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier -- just so long as I'm the dictator." -- George W. Bush (December 18, 2000)